About this project

Hello, and thanks!

Sophomore album.  Over the past year, I’ve written a handful of songs that feel like the best and most meaningful body of work I’ve written thus far.  And I can’t wait to share it with you!  I’m excited to be working with Zach Miller and Matt Patrick again, as well many other talented folk from the twin cities.  The rapport between us is something truly rare. It’s something you can hear in the music. 

For me, the hope is always to create something beautiful.   A quote from one of my favorite authors, Dostoevsky, reads, “Beauty will save the world.”  That’s quite a lofty goal.  But being someone who works with songs, my hope is simply to draw out what’s beautiful, be drawn into it, and if I’m lucky, take my listeners along.

These songs are full of stories.  They are stories that tell about love and tragedy, finding life and losing life, having a dream and also letting one go, coming home, leaving home, and in one song, "Cowboy Without A West," even wondering where home went.  I’ve found that sometimes the best way to walk into your own story is by walking into another’s.  

My iPod’s been playing everything from Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire, The Beatles to Feist, Crosby, Stills & Nash to Ron Sexsmith, and Ray LaMontagne.  I bet you’ll hear a bit of it all in these new songs, something vintage and something modern, and all rolled together into something new.

WHY SO MUCH MOOLA, BEN?
Glad you asked.  $10,000 may seem like a lot of money, but in reality it’s only a fraction of what an album typically costs.  To make a cohesive and competitive recording these days it takes finances.  Record companies often spend up to $200,000 or more.  Yeah, crazy, I know.  But independent artists like myself have learned how to make a buck stretch.  The money raised here will be dedicated to four stages in the recording process: Tracking (paying musicians, producers, and for studio time), Mixing & Mastering (the process that makes the music sound really good), Printing (pressing the hard-copy CDs), and album artwork costs. And we don't have to stop at this goal.  There's no limit to the amount you can raise on Kickstarter, and the more we do, the more we can put into making the best album possible.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY REWARDS?
Either during recording process or right after the album gets done, depending on the reward.  I am shooting for Spring to have this album done. You can follow our progress by checking the Updates tab at the top of this page. You can also email me at any time if you have a specific question @ bendrosenbush@gmail.com.

HOW IS THIS PROJECT CONNECTED WITH PROJECT FOODPATCH?
Project FoodPatch is an extension of Project FoodStock who’s mission is to engage and mobilize the local community to help feed the hungry among us. In the FoodPatch garden, fresh fruits and vegetables are grown each year and then donated at harvest time to the Dakota County food shelf.  The band and I are getting involved by donating one hour of time for every ten contributors to our Kickstarter project.  Help put our green thumbs to work!  You can learn more about Project FoodPatch by visiting their website @ http://www.projectfoodstock.org 

BTW, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO USING THE NAME, THE BRIGHTON?
For those who’ve seen me perform in the past, it’s been under the name The Brighton.  But with this new album, I’m changing things up.  Drum roll, please….  The new name will be Ben Rosenbush and the Brighton, as you may have guessed.  The reasons for this are mostly practical.  For one, if you do an Internet search for “The Brighton” right now, you might think I’m a hotel on the East Coast.  Luckily, there are no popular vacation destinations of the name Ben Rosenbush.  Another reason for this is, when this album gets finished, I’ll be touring as a solo artist, but then also with a band.  So as not confuse fans, I’ll be performing under Ben Rosenbush when solo, and under Ben Rosenbush and the Brighton when the band’s along.  Make sense?  Whew, I’m glad :).

Thank you for so much for taking an interest in what we're doing.  We hope you join us.